Cocktail of Bollywood and business at Lakme Fashion Week

MUMBAI: With international buyers and style experts all set to mark their presence, the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) brings hope for good business. And when a fashion fiesta takes place in tinsel town, a brush with celebrities is not unexpected.

The autumn-winter edition of the fashion event that starts here Saturday is a joint initiative by Lakme, a cosmetics brand of Hindustan Unilever Ltd, and IMG, a leading international event management firm.

"LFW has steadily established itself as a platform for attracting international designers and labels, a vibrant place to do business for buyers and inspiring a global pool of talent," said Anil Chopra, vice president of Lakme Unilever.

"It further reinforces our commitment to integrate India into the global fashion world," he added.

Hectic preparations are on at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) to ensure that everything at the five-day event is a success.

Organisers believe that many Bollywood stars will make their presence felt at the fashion extravaganza due to their friendships with the designers presenting their collection at the March 29-April 2 show.

The fashion fete will also see the likes of New York based Elsye Kroll of trade show Coterie, Albert Morris of fashion store Browns, Pamela and Lydia Pearson and Tiziana Cardini of store La Rinascente.

Renowned fashionistas and journalists from around the world, including Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of International Herald Tribune, Carole Sabas of Vogue France, Michael Mickey Boardman, deputy editorial director of Paper Magazine, and Stellene Volandes, senior fashion editor of Departures Magazine, will be present at the fashion week.

As many as 57 designers, established and new, will display their creativity over five action and glamour packed days.

Among the designers participating are J.J. Valaya, Drashta Sarvaiya, Kaushie, Rakesh Agarwal, Ruchi Mehta, Krishna Mehta, Manish Malhotra, Arjun Khanna, Sudhir Nayak and Tapas Biswas.

Sonam Dubal, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Neeta Lulla, Pria Kataria Puri, Narendra Kumar, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Wendell Rodricks, Anand Kabra, Prriya and Chintan, Arshiya Fakih Eappen, Anupama Dayal, Shyamal and Bhumika will also feature at LFW.

The biannual event will also preview some of the best-established and upcoming names among models, choreographers, and hair and make-up teams.

Vikram Raizada, IMG's head of fashion, said: "The fashion week proves a great platform for both established and upcoming talent. For instance, IMG Models, IMG's international model scouting agency, has come calling for selecting the next international supermodel from India."

The indigenous and international brands associated with the LFW autumn-winter extravaganza includes Gitanjali, Samsonite, Allen Solly, AZA, Park Avenue, Chivas, Westside, Peroni, DHL, Taj President and Tag Media Network.